Why do we love Judi?

She's played queens, philosophers, Shakespeare's heroines, a cabaret singer (as the original Sally Bowles in the London version of Cabaret) and a super spy's boss. Born into a family bitten with the acting bug, Judi Dench's parents, Dr. Reginald and Olave Dench were both amateur actors who took Judi to her first play when she was four. A precocious child who drew on walls and dressed the family cat in doll clothes, young Judi made her stage debut at the age five, cast against type, playing a snail. As a teen, she attended a private Quaker school where she appeared in several school productions, often selflessly alternating between the lead and supporting roles. Following in her brother's footsteps, Judi enrolled in The Central School of Speech and Drama in London where she planned to learn set design, figuring she didn't have the talent for acting. Fortunately for her, and us, the teachers recognized her gift.

Immediately after graduation, Judi joined the prestigious Old Vic where she appeared in the plays of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, and Wilde. Not content to tread the boards on London, in the 1960's, Judi joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as they toured Africa, performing Shakespeare there for the first time. In an effort to combine career and family, Judi appeared with her husband, Michael Williams, in the britcom, A Fine Romance. A stage veteran and a British TV star, Judi's film career didn't take off until she donned the mourning clothes of Queen Victoria in 1997's Mrs. Brown. The following year in an 8-minute turn as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love, suddenly Oscar and America knew what England had known for decades, Dame Judi was arguably one of the finest actors working today. She continues to move effortlessly between television (The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, 2000), stage (Amy's View, 1999 - Tony Award), and film (Iris, 2001 - Oscar nomination) -- proof that there's nothing like a Dame!

Biography:

Born - December 9, 1934
York, North Yorkshire, England

Achievements:

• Four-time Academy Award Nominee:
  
  
  • 1998 - Best Actress in a Leading Role for Mrs. Brown (1997)
  • 1999 - Won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Shakespeare in Love (1998)
  • 2001 - Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Chocolat (2000)
  • 2002 - Best Actress in a Leading Role for Iris (2001)

• Two-time Golden Globe winner -- Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Mrs. Brown (1997) and for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

• Three-time Golden Globe nominee: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Shakespeare in Love (1997), Chocolate (2000), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Iris (2001)

• 16-time BAFTA nominee, 8-time BAFTA award winner:
  
  
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Iris (2001)
  • TV Award Best Actress for The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role fo: Shakespeare in Love (1998)
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Mrs. Brown (1997)
  • Best Actress in a Supporting Role for A Room with a View (1986)
  • Best Light Entertainment Performance for A Fine Romance (1981)
  • TV Award Best Actress fo: Talking to a Stranger (1966)
  • Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Four in the Morning (1966)

• Screen Actors Guild Awards:
  
  
  • 1998, Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Mrs. Brown (1997)
  • 1999, Was a member of Outstanding Performance by a Cast for Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Shakespeare in Love (1998)
  • 2001, Winner Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Chocolat (2000) and nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for The Last of the Blonde Bombshells and Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture for Chocolat (2000)
  • 2002, Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Iris and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for The Shipping News

• Awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1970

• Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1988

• In 1996, became the first actor to receive two Olivier Awards (British Theater) for different performances in the same year for Absolute Hell and A Little Night Music

• 1999 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading role for Amy's View

• 1999 Golden Quill recipient - the Sir John Gielgud Award for Excellence in Dramatic Arts

• Recieves the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Academy Fellowship, 2001